The sun rose.
From this high vantage point, the outline of Vermilion City slowly sharpened against the horizon—steel frames and neon arcs sketching the hard lines of a port metropolis.
"Goodbye, Professor~"
"We'll come visit again next time."
"Maybe we'll even bring something research-worthy for you."
Ash, Misty, and Brock said their farewells to Professor Bill, who stood at the lighthouse entrance watching them.
Then they followed the coastal road onward.
Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder, looking back at the white lighthouse.
His tiny paw clenched a special energy cube—something Gardevoir had quietly slipped him.
A silence fee.
…No, a friendship fee.
[Gardevoir: As my friend, I'm sure you don't remember anything you shouldn't, right?]
[Pikachu: …You're right… Pikapi…]
Yeah.
That Gardevoir really cared about his image.
He didn't give a damn what humans thought of male Gardevoir—
But he absolutely refused to let his reputation slip in front of other Pokémon.
At the lighthouse gate, Bill watched the three kids vanish around the curve of the road.
Then he turned and walked back into the cold, cavernous hall.
The ancient stone tablets lining the walls glowed faintly in the blue light from the conduits, their carved figures almost seeming to writhe and roar.
This world held so many mysteries.
And he only knew the tiniest sliver.
—He wanted more.
—He wanted to unravel more riddles.
To know everything there was to know about this world…
That was his dream.
He had barely sat back down at the main console, ready to dive into fresh analysis of those precious seawater samples—
When a new incoming call blinked silently onto the screen.
He accepted it with a casual tap.
The display shifted—
Revealing another busy, modern laboratory, and a middle-aged man in a neat lab coat, calm and composed in demeanor—
Professor Sakuragi of Vermilion City.
The two lived relatively close.
You could call them old colleagues.
"Professor Bill." Sakuragi adjusted his glasses, speaking with the respect of a junior to a senior.
"The energy monitoring hub was lit up in red all night."
"Things were… noisy."
"Our sensors recorded an unknown energy spike on your side of the coast. Peak values were high enough to briefly interfere with Vermilion's public energy net…"
"Was it that?"
His eyes flicked past Bill to the still-open data streams and the blurred, frozen image of a massive silhouette on one of the side screens.
He practically had his answer already.
He'd held back for one night.
But this was his jurisdiction, and pressure was building upstairs.
There was only so long he could act like nothing had happened.
"Ah, Sakuragi." Bill looked worn out, but beneath the fatigue his excitement still burned.
He rubbed at his bloodshot eyes, speaking in a satisfied tone.
His lips curled slightly as he tapped the console, packaging up some non-critical observation data about last night's giant Dragonite and transmitting it over.
He had to give his colleague something to hand in.
"Just a 'small' bit of academic exchange."
"An ancient being answered my call."
"Yes, it was one of the 'Sea Emissaries.'"
"A successful contact."
"A historic conversation."
He gave a clipped summary of the night's events, his voice full of the feverish passion unique to researchers.
The full data set wasn't整理ed yet.
Once it was, he'd make copies for other Professors as well.
But he didn't mind sharing early.
Unlike some other fields that hoarded information, Pokémon research worked differently.
Copying a data set cost you nothing.
If colleagues could push the work further, that only helped everyone.
Professor Sakuragi listened intently.
The more he heard, especially about that "neither alive nor dead" state, the deeper his frown became.
Behind his lenses, his eyes widened as he studied the captured images and energy readouts of the giant Dragonite.
Even through the screen, the impact was clear.
He drew in a long breath.
"So this is what Sensei meant by a… 'Sea King'-class existence?"
"And you actually managed to speak with it…"
"Incredible… direct communication with something on that level…"
Then his gaze shifted, thoughtful.
"Speaking of which, the three young trainers who just left your area…"
"One of them seemed to be carrying Sensei's—Professor Oak's—Pokédex, correct?"
By "Sensei," of course, he meant Professor Oak.
As Oak's student, Sakuragi had the authority to check certain Pokédex registration logs.
And the moment Ash's group left the lighthouse's security perimeter, it had pinged his system.
"Good eye, Sakuragi." Bill chuckled, leaning one arm on the console.
"That boy—Ash—he's an interesting one."
"His nerve, his mindset—and that partner of his…"
"That very unique Pikachu… they're both far from ordinary."
He thought back on how composed Ash had been in front of the giant, and how sharp and responsive Pikachu had been the entire time.
"Oh?" Sakuragi's expression brightened with interest. "To earn praise like that from you, Professor, he must indeed be remarkable."
He nodded slightly, tone calm but laced with the faintest hint of comparison.
"Sensei's eye for people has always been sharp."
"Even so, in Vermilion we'll be getting a few new trainers this year as well."
"I doubt they'll be too far behind… I'm looking forward to the competition."
He said that—
But in reality, this year's Vermilion rookies were chosen more or less at random.
He'd had no time.
The Sakuragi Research Lab was newly founded, and there was far too much demanding his attention.
Bill laughed aloud.
"A bit more collision between the young is good for them!"
His eyes drifted back to the external feed, toward the direction where Dragonite had vanished.
His tone grew a shade more meaningful.
"The secrets and dangers hidden in this world go far deeper than we imagine."
"We'll be needing better and better youngsters to face them."
"Then let's watch and see." Sakuragi smiled as he moved to wrap up the call. "I'll be keeping an eye on their performances here in Vermilion."
"Gardevoir says that child is very strong—far beyond a typical rookie." Bill added, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Especially that Pikachu. I've no idea how Oak raised it."
On the other end, Sakuragi went quiet for a moment.
Then he smiled too, with a knowing air.
"Now I really am looking forward to meeting him."
"I'll be here in Vermilion," he said, pushing his glasses up, a sharp glint flashing across the lenses.
"To see with my own eyes just what kind of show Sensei's chosen one can put on."
"I only hope the kids on my side don't get crushed too badly."
The screen went dark.
Bill turned toward the wide window.
Sea and sky were the same shade of blue; clouds were gathering, heavy and thick, hinting that a storm might be brewing in Vermilion's direction.
He murmured, almost like he'd already seen it:
"A storm's coming…"
"Kid, don't let yourself get washed away."
As a Pokémon Professor, Bill was well aware of Team Rocket's existence.
Everyone in their circles was.
But he had no desire to get involved.
This wasn't a simple matter of good vs evil.
The Pokémon League itself was a loose, somewhat shaky structure.
Even Bill thought it needed a strong core—someone who could pull everything together.
But who that should be?
The Elite Four?
Giovanni?
Another Gym Leader?
Or even Professor Oak returning to the battlefield?
He had no idea.
So he stayed out of it.
He'd built his lab out here by the sea for a reason.
Let the politicians and power players wrestle with the future.
He'd focus on his work—
Quietly uncovering the truths of this world, one mystery at a time.
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